Health care reform: Issues roundup

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The Supreme Court is expected to rule on the constitutionality of the health care reform law this month.

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The Supreme Court will rule on the Affordable Care Act this month

No matter the ruling, most Americans will be affected

For more on the Affordable Care Act, check back with CNN.com/health

While many changes to Americans' health care outlined in the the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act don't take effect until 2014, a Supreme Court ruling expected this month could stop those changes from coming at all.

The act, often referred to as "Obamacare," is a step toward guaranteeing insurance coverage for all Americans and received enough support to pass in Congress in 2010. However, the Supreme Court agreed to hear arguments on several of its core issues in March. The court may rule on the issues by the end of this month.

No matter the ruling, most Americans will be affected. Here are some of the issues being discussed right now:

Business owners

Photos:Photos: Health care and the high court

Photos:Photos: Health care and the high court

Health care and the high court – Supporters of the health care legislation celebrate after the Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act in a 5-4 ruling on June 28, 2012.

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Health care and the high court – Journalists and supporters and protesters of the health care law gather outside the Supreme Court after the justices ruled in favor of its constitutionality in a narrow decision.

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Health care and the high court – Protesters against the health care law rally outside the Supreme Court before the justices issue their ruling Thursday.

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Health care and the high court – Reporters and camera crews begin waiting early Thursday outside the Supreme Court in anticipation of the court's health care ruling.

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Health care and the high court – President Barack Obama signs the health care legislation in a March 23, 2010, ceremony with Democrats in the White House East Room. The law, which critics dubbed Obamacare, is Obama's signature legislation.

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Health care and the high court – The constitutionality of the 2,409-page act was challenged by 26 states. The most controversial aspect of the law -- the "individual mandate" -- would require individuals not covered by insurance via their employer or the government to purchase and maintain minimal health insurance or pay a penalty.

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Health care and the high court – The Supreme Court held three days of politically charged hearings in March on the Affordable Care Act.

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Health care and the high court – Opponents of Obama's health care legislation protest in front of the Supreme Court on March 28. Critics argued the law's requirement that most Americans have health insurance or pay a fine was an unconstitutional intrusion on individual freedom.

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Health care and the high court – Advocates for universal, government-financed health care carry signs one month before the health care overhaul was signed into law.

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Health care and the high court – Two years after Obama signed the health care legislation, the Supreme Court took up the historic test of whether it's constitutional.

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Health care and the high court – The Rev. Patrick Mahoney leads demonstrators in prayer outside the Supreme Court on Monday, June 25, as they await the court's ruling.

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Health care and the high court – The high court upheld the law's central provision -- a requirement that all people have health insurance. The decision will have an immediate and long-term impact on all Americans, both in how they get medicine and health care.

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One hundred and sixty million Americans receive health care from their employers, many of whom set their own rates for their employees. If the court rules against the act, employees might face higher premiums, fewer network providers, higher-deductible plans and more stringent regulations on adding adult dependents.

What is Corporate America's Plan B to safeguard employees and industry if the act is struck down? Here are some insights:

If you run your own company, the act has a lot of good in store for you -- that is, if you know how to access it. Many small business owners across the country who do offer health coverage haven't taken advantage of, or didn't even know about, a tax credit that helps offset giving employees insurance.

Why wouldn't small business owners take advantage of this? CNNMoney answers that question and talks about what might happen if only parts of the act are kept:

Being insured helps safeguard against pricey medical bills. However, a report released Tuesday from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services suggests that the act won't limit national health spending. In fact, it predicts that spending will skyrocket after a brief recession-induced dip.

Growth in health spending doesn't necessarily correlate with growth in health care costs, but what does it mean? Here's a projection:

For today's young adults, health care comes last. If you can't afford to feed and clothe yourself, why budget for something that hasn't happened yet? However, youth get sick too, and their future bank accounts might take a toll if the act is repealed -- or if they don't insure themselves, period. Additionally, the ones who do insure themselves tend to forgo expenditures elsewhere (like graduate school) to make ends meet.

Health reform has been the belle of the senior citizen community, saving Medicare beneficiaries a collective $3.7 billion dollars on their medication costs since its inception in 2010. One of the reform's aims is to close the "donut hole," or portion of senior citizens that can't pay for medication out of pocket, by 2020.

Just because a negative ruling would give health insurers and states the ability to opt out of reform-era options doesn't mean they're going to. UnitedHealthcare, the nation's largest health insurer, said that while it will take cues from competitors, it will maintain some of the act's key mandates regardless of the court's decision. Moreover, there is strong bipartisan support for state-created health care exchange programs, many of which have been set into motion, where those seeking insurance can look for subsidized coverage.